Feb 12 Review - 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'

I think it’s safe to say that nobody saw The Lego Movie coming when it came out in 2014. Most of us expected that film to be a shameless feature-length Lego advertisement, and, I mean, it was an advertisement, but it was also surprisingly clever, tasteful and most importantly: original. This set the bar pretty high for the sequel, and well, it doesn’t quite clear it.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part takes place five years after the original movie, and the Lego world has become run-down and bleak ever since the Duplo army, which in real life is Finn’s sister’s collection of toys, invaded. When Wyldestyle (Elizabeth Banks) is captured, Emmet (Chris Pratt) must go on a journey of self-discovery to save her and the rest of the Lego universe.

Right off the bat The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is lacking the spit-fire consistency of humor that made the first one such a surprise. The second part is still funny, but there were times where I actually felt….bored by it. The meta references feel a little more recycled, the cameos, save for one involving Bruce Willis, aren’t as strong and the jokes are in general much more telegraphed and predictable. It also takes the movie about thirty minutes to really find its groove, and once it does, it still doesn’t quite reach the level of its predecessor. Still, it’s engaging enough and the story does end up finding some interesting places to go.

Fortunately, director Mike Mitchell and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller ensure that the film has something worthwhile to say and the lessons it teaches its audience are important and heartfelt ones. The Second Part is really about the relationship between brothers and sisters, or just siblings in general, and while the message isn’t subtle, it is well-implemented within the fabric of the story and really drives the movie home to a satisfying conclusion in the end.

In addition to having a wholesome message, the film also looks absolutely stunning. The animation on display is just as inventive and colorful as it was in the original film, and while I wouldn’t hold it up as high as last year’s Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, it is nowhere close to being a slouch. The Second Part is also surprisingly more musically driven than the first film, and I would even say the musical numbers here are better than the first films’ and without being as annoyingly infectious.

Despite being inferior to the film that came before it; The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is still a good enough time for the whole family due to its strong message and consistently engaging set-pieces and aesthetics.